Haymarket Picture House night illumination [0316]
1934-11-20
The Haymarket Picture House (latterly known as the
Gaumont Cinema) opened in 1911, was enlarged in 1921
(architect J.Owen Bond) and again in 1929. Demolished
1959.

St Giles' St Hippodrome from Tuck's Court [B447]
1932-09-24
The Hippodrome, St Giles' St opened as the Grand Opera
House in 1903, became a Music Hall in 1904, and a cinema
in 1930, before returning to Variety in September 1937.
In 1958 it became the Norfolk Playhouse Repertory Theatre
but was demolished in 1966.

St Giles' St Hippodrome at night [0322] 1934-11-26

St Giles' St Hippodrome [4557] 1960-06-18

St John's Alley Maddermarket Theatre [1150]
1936-07-21
Built as a Roman Catholic Chapel three years after the
Catholic Relief Act of 1791 and later used by the
Salvation Army. The building was converted into an
Elizabethan Theatre by Nugent Monck in 1921. His Norwich
Players, founded 1911, moving from the Music House in
King St.

Theatre St Theatre Royal after fire view W [0135]
1934-06-24
In the early part of the 18c Theatre St was known as
Chapel Field Lane; it did not obtain its present name
until after 1757 when Thomas Ivory "to oblige the
general wish and request, and with the promise of all
kinds of countenance and support from the principal
inhabitants" undertook to build a theatre on a site
in Chapel Field adjoining the then newly built Assembly
House. It was completed and opened in January of the
following year with a comedy called The Way of the
World, the Norwich Company of Comedians being engaged
to perform there. At first known as the "Concert
Hall", it was licensed as a Theatre by His Majesty's
Letters Patent in 1768, by which it was enabled to open
from 1st January until 1st June each year and also in
Assize Week.
In the early part of the 19c the building underwent
various alterations and improvements, but it was
eventually decided to pull it down and build a new one on
the adjoining site. William Wilkins was the architect and
proprietor and the new building, at a cost of £6,000,
opened on Easter Monday, 1826, with The School for
Scandal.
In 1883, as a result of a dispute between the Town Clerk
and the proprietor, Mr William Sidney, concerning the
provision of additional exits, the discovery was made
that the licence granted in 1768 was personal to Thomas
Ivory and had expired on his death in 1779. The theatre
owned by Mr Sidney therefore was not a Patent Theatre but
had been carried on for 104 years without patent, licence
or permit of any kind.
After standing for more than a century, during which time
it was enlarged and otherwise improved, the second
Theatre Royal was ultimately destroyed by fire on 22nd
June 1934. Commencing at about 2pm at the stage end of
the building, the fire spread so that the whole theatre
was very soon involved; within an hour nothing but the
mere shell remained and Jack Gladwin, the proprietor, was
faced with the choice of abandoning it altogether or
completely rebuilding. Fortunately for Norwich he chose
the latter course, and on 30th September 1935, the
present Theatre Royal after designs by architect
W.H.Barton L.R.I.B.A. (the third to stand on or adjacent
to the site) opened with a production of The White
Horse Inn.

Theatre St Theatre Royal wall from yard [4299]
1955-04-09
Believed to be a fragment of the first Theatre Royal,
built by Thomas Ivory in 1758. Viewed from yard leading
to current stage door.

Theatre St Theatre Royal view SE [7861] 2001-10-28
In 1970 the City Architect David Percival gave the white
tiled frontage a new image to get rid of what the critics
had called "the thirties' public convenience
style". Brick panelling in a soft brown colour
called "mocca" was inserted between the
pilasters, and what tiling remained was painted to match.
A new roof line was also introduced. The estimated cost
was £7,500. At the same time much of the interior was
refurbished and modernised.